Tap...
Tap...
Aoi Kunisaku and Maki Shinichi landed one after the other.
Aoi Kunisaku stumbled a bit when he landed, taking two steps back.
Maki Shinichi took the chance and quickly passed the ball.
The basketball arced through the air and landed right in Shinzou Ichirou's hands.
As soon as Shinzou Ichirou caught the ball, he charged toward Shohoku's basket like an arrow fired from a bow.
Mitsui Hisashi rushed forward to block him.
But Shinzou Ichirou seemed ready. Just as he came to a stop, he flicked his wrist and passed the ball.
Pa—
The ball flew cleanly to Kiyota Nobunaga. He was wide open—no one on him.
Without hesitation, he dashed into Shohoku's paint, leapt high, and went for a powerful Slam Dunk.
Akagi Takenori charged out from under the basket like a wild tiger. He also jumped up, ready to Block Kiyota Nobunaga's reckless dunk.
Kiyota saw Akagi standing there like a tower and panicked. His momentum collapsed. His dunk attempt suddenly lost all strength.
"Damn it! This big guy's in the way!" he grumbled. With no choice, he pulled back and threw the ball hard behind him.
Akagi's pupils shrank. Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted Takasago Kazuma behind Kiyota.
Not good.
He immediately felt uneasy.
As expected, Takasago Kazuma caught the pass.
Without hesitation, he jumped, raised the ball with both hands, aimed at the hoop, and shot.
Whoosh—
The basketball flew like a cannonball toward Shohoku's basket.
But just then, Rukawa Kaede burst in from the side like a ghost in the dark.
His palm brushed the ball, altering its path midair.
Takasago Kazuma's eyes went wide with shock.
He hadn't even noticed where Rukawa came from.
The ball veered off course, heading under the backboard, looking like it was about to fly out of bounds.
Just when everyone thought it was going out, a figure shot in like lightning.
That person jumped up and snatched the ball just before it left the court. He turned midair, aiming for a vicious dunk on Shohoku's basket.
Everyone on Shohoku tensed the moment they saw who it was.
It was Maki Shinichi.
Not good.
Mitsui Hisashi, Miyagi Ryota, Akagi Takenori, and Rukawa Kaede all thought the same thing—this play might be unstoppable.
Next second—
Pa—
In front of everyone's shocked eyes, the ball that Maki Shinichi was about to dunk was slapped away hard by a hand.
Everyone looked toward the Block.
The player wore a red jersey with a big number 9 on the back.
It was Aoi Kunisaku.
No one knew when he got behind Maki Shinichi. He had jumped high and smacked the ball out of his hands.
The basketball smashed off the backboard and bounced away like a runaway horse.
Maki Shinichi turned his head and looked at Aoi Kunisaku with a slanted glance. His eyes were full of disbelief and burning battle spirit.
He hadn't expected such a sure shot to be blocked.
But thinking again, with Aoi Kunisaku's speed, it wasn't impossible.
Miyagi Ryota seized the chance and dashed into Shohoku's paint. He reached out for the rebounding ball.
Kiyota Nobunaga also jumped in, trying to grab position. He wanted that ball too.
Tap...
Tap...
Aoi Kunisaku and Maki Shinichi landed solidly, but without missing a beat, both of them turned instantly and sprinted off again like arrows released from the string.
They turned into red and white flashes, blasting past Miyagi Ryota and Kiyota Nobunaga.
Miyagi and Kiyota felt wind whip past their faces. Before they could react, the ball right in front of them vanished.
"So fast," they both gasped. Their eyes shrank. Their minds blanked out. They couldn't keep up at all.
By the time they turned their heads, Aoi Kunisaku and Maki Shinichi had already crossed half-court into Kainan's side.
Kiyota Nobunaga swallowed hard. His voice shook. "These two are monsters."
Miyagi Ryota's eyes were full of shock and mixed feelings. He mumbled, "These guys…"
Aoi Kunisaku moved like a panther. He sprinted with the ball, feet moving like a whirlwind. The wind roared past his ears. He looked like he could crush anything in front of him.
Maki Shinichi was like a tiger charging down a mountain. He stuck close behind Aoi, every step firm and fierce.
The two darted around the court, their figures swift like ghosts.
Aoi weaved left and right. The ball danced in his hands, rolling fast along the floor with sharp thump thump sounds, then bouncing high in graceful arcs.
Maki stayed right on him. With explosive speed and sharp instincts, he read Aoi's movements again and again. His long arms darted out like lightning, trying to Steal.
The two moved unpredictably, dazzling everyone watching.
They'd suddenly swerve left, causing the air to freeze for a beat.
Then they'd lunge right, kicking up clouds of dust.
Spectators couldn't keep up. Heads swung side to side following their movements. Eyes stayed wide open—no one dared blink for fear of missing even one moment.
The players from Shohoku and Kainan stood stunned, mouths wide enough to fit an egg, faces full of disbelief.
They'd been playing basketball for years, but never seen offense and defense clash so fiercely, almost insanely.
It was like two cornered beasts locked in a life-or-death brawl. The air was heavy with danger.
Everyone from both teams stepped back together, forming a wide circle around them. No one dared step into the danger zone.
They just stared—like fans completely hooked by a show too good to look away from. Their eyes were full of awe and obsession.
In the stands, the atmosphere had already boiled over.
It was like a magnetic force pulled everyone forward. Eyes popped wide as they stared at the two figures streaking across the court.
Faces flushed red. Nostrils flared. Even the tiniest expression showed pure shock and excitement.
The crowd was like a stormy sea. Everyone's blood felt like it was about to erupt from their chests. They roared inside, rising with every clash between Aoi Kunisaku and Maki Shinichi.
They had watched so many basketball games. But this...
No.
This moment was the most thrilling one they'd ever seen. Nothing else came close.
The audience had even forgotten to cheer. They held their breath, afraid to interrupt the brilliance below.
In the press area—
Aida Yayoi looked like she was about to launch into the sky. Her face was red like a ripe tomato.
The shutter on her camera clicked nonstop, nearly smoking from the speed.
"So good. So intense. So fired up," she shouted in her head. As a veteran Basketball Weekly reporter, she'd covered countless games. But never one that made her lose control like this.
"I'm sure... no matter who wins, this play—this moment—will go down in history." Her voice trembled from excitement.
On the court, red and white blurs clashed like two dragons in a storm.
Aoi Kunisaku used Super High-Speed Dribble. The ball looked enchanted in his hands, always changing direction.
Between-the-legs Dribble, Behind-the-Back Dribble, Spin, Single-Foot Stepback Crossover Hand Swap—he pulled off each move flawlessly. It was stunning.
Maki Shinichi struggled to keep up but gritted his teeth and followed Aoi's every tempo shift. The whole crowd was slack-jawed.
Then Aoi suddenly stopped.
Next second, he rose into a deep Fadeaway.
The ball launched high right in front of Maki.
Maki reacted fast, but Aoi's leaning angle was too steep. He had no way to block it. He stretched his arm as far as he could, trying to obstruct Aoi's view.
But the ball had its own will. It floated past Maki's fingers and swished straight through the hoop behind him.
Swish—
Nothing but net.
Boom—
Instantly, the whole gym exploded like a bomb had gone off.
Cheers. Screams. Shouts. All burst out at once like thunder.
Everyone went wild after that jaw-dropping play. The noise surged like a tidal wave, shaking the roof.
The other high school basketball teams watching were frozen in shock.
They stared at the court like they were trapped in a dream—unable to believe this was real.
Right then, they felt it. The gap between their teams and a true powerhouse wasn't small. It was a canyon.
Time kept ticking.
There was just over 1 minute left in the first half.
Kainan's ball.
"Captain Maki…" Kiyota Nobunaga started to speak, then fell silent. He was overwhelmed.
The Maki Shinichi in front of him felt like a wild beast. Not human. A bloodthirsty predator ready to tear everything apart.
It wasn't just Kiyota. The other Kainan players sensed it too.
They stared at Maki, full of shock and confusion.
What was happening to their captain?
Where was that terrifying pressure coming from?
Huh?
Aoi Kunisaku also noticed something was off. He looked up at Maki.
His pupils shrank. His heart skipped a beat. "That's…"
Shohoku's bench—
Shimizu Kanon and Anzai Mitsuyoshi stood up at the same time. They clearly saw it.
Coach Anzai's face shifted slightly. He looked surprised and muttered, "It's Wild Instinct."
Shimizu Kanon didn't look too shocked, but still let out a soft gasp. "So he has Wild Instinct too…"